


Memories Burned Into the Shadows

by mihomi98



Category: Glee
Genre: F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-21
Updated: 2015-04-22
Packaged: 2018-03-25 01:22:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3791344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mihomi98/pseuds/mihomi98
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's senior year, and Dave has completely changed. He thinks it's going to be a normal year until one Kurt Hummel makes his appearance back at McKinley High. Repost from fanfiction.net. Written in 2011.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

It had been two months, fifteen days, seventeen hours, and forty-one minutes since David Karofsky told his parent that he's gay.

It was the last Sunday before school let out for summer the previous year. They had taken it surprisingly well, deciding that he was still their son and that they would love him no matter what, even if he preferred men to women. Dave's friends took it way better than expected as well. Most if the team now playfully teased Dave about being gay, but it was nowhere as bad as it had been with Kurt. Even Azimio was doing great with it, although Dave didn't actually come out to him. He guessed shortly after Kurt had switched schools back in October. Dave had felt so guilty about making the boy switch that he swore he wasn't going to be a coward and a bully any longer. He was determined to change for the better for himself and for Kurt, on the off chance that perhaps Kurt would once again make his presence in Dave's life. He had also changed a lot physically, too; he lost all the chubbiness and was now extremely muscular.

Dave could remember the day Azimio guessed as clearly as it had been yesterday. Dave wasn't acting like himself, and Azimio put together all his suspicions to come to the conclusion that Dave was gay.

_[Flashback]_

_Dave had been moping around and beating himself up mentally about what he had done ever since he found out that Kurt was switching to Dalton because of him. Dave and Azimio were hanging out in Dave's basement, watching a basketball game on Dave's flatscreen television. The smaller boy was silent throughout the game, the complete opposite of the enthusiastic visage he always observed the game with. Azimio looked over to his friend, concern etched onto his features._

_"Hey, man, you okay?" he asked, turning to face Dave. The other boy shrugged his shoulders, his eyes still staring blankly ahead. Azimio sighed. "What's been with you lately?"_

_"It's nothing," David said after a moment. "I'm fine."_

_Azimio shook his head before realization struck him about the suspicions that he had been having since they came back for their junior year. He shook his head again, hoping that he was wrong, but the more he thought about it, the more plausible it was that Dave had feelings for the boy. "Is it because that fag left?" he asked, testing out the waters by using the word_ fag.  _In the old days, Dave didn't have a problem with that word, but since Kurt left, he couldn't stand it._

_"Don't call him that!" Dave exclaimed angrily, his eyes flashing dangerously in anger._

_"I knew it."_

_Dave's brows furrowed in confusion. "Knew what?"_

_"You like Hummel."_

_Dave's eyes widened in panic. "What? I—no! I'm…. straight, remember? I like tits, why would I want that fag?" Dave flinched as his voice cracked and got suspiciously high towards the end of his exclamation. One glance at Azimio's face told Dave that he had been figured out. His shoulders dropped as he realized he could very well lose his only true friend if Azimio didn't approve._

_Azimio rolled his eyes. "Yeah, and I'm the queen of England. You like Hummel, so what? If you think about it, it was actually obvious, like pulling a girl's pigtails in elementary school." Dave grimaced, causing Azimio to laugh. "Being your friend for so long has shown me what you're like, man, and you are anything but straight."_

_"You don't hate me then?" Dave asked in a small voice._

_Azimio punched him in the shoulder. "'Course not. I've been your friend too long to drop you just 'cause you like cock."_

_Dave laughed. "Thanks, man."_

_"Anytime," Azimio answered. "Now we just need to get you your man."_

_Dave's face fell again. "There's no way he'd want me. I may lo—I mean, I like Kurt, a lot, but I was such a dick to him, and forced a kiss on him—"_

_"Wait, what?" Azimio interrupted. Dave looked at him in confusion. "When the hell did you kiss Hummel?"_

_"Uhm, right before he left school," Dave admitted. "I pissed him off pretty badly and he followed me into the locker room to yell at me. He got too close to me, plus he looked fucking sexy all angry like that. I just couldn't help it. Then when I went in a second time, he pushed me away. I was so hurt I punched a locker and threatened to kill him the next day. That's why I was expelled, and that's why he left McKinley." He put his head in his hands. "I'm such a fucking idiot. Who threatens the guy they're in love with?"_

_Azimio's eyes widened for a moment at the mention of love, but hetried not to show his shock._

_(End Flashback)_

"Dave!" a voice called, pulling Dave out of the memory. He looked up to see Azimio looking at him expectantly.

"What?" Dave questioned as he realized that Azimio was waiting for a response to whatever it was that he had said. Azimio groaned before gesturing to a boy walking down the hall.

"I said, I think I just saw your man pass by," the larger boy repeated.

"Are you sure?" Dave asked, his voice slightly shakey. Azimio shrugged as the get-to-class bell rang, signifying the end of the boy's conversation. Dave and Azimio separated and each went to their own class.

OoOoOo

Throughout the entirety of Dave's first class, he was in a daze. Could Kurt really be back?  _Why_ was he back? Would he see how much Dave had changed for him in the last eight months that it had been since they had seen each other, or would Kurt still see him as a monster, even though Dave was friends with nearly everyone in his precious glee club? Would he still hate him for stealing his first real kiss? It caused Dave's heart to ache, but he was pretty sure Kurt would still hate him, at least for now.

Dave was still lost in the clouds when class was over. He was so deep in his thoughts that he didn't notice someone stop in front of him in the hall. The collision caused both boys and their things to go flying.

"Ah, shit, man, I'm sorry," Dave started as he helped the other boy pick up his things. Once Dave finally looked up, his eyes went wide. The boy looked even more beautiful than he had remembered. "K-Kurt?" he stuttered. The other boy's head snapped up at his name and his eyes narrowed.

"Karofsky," he sneered irately, dislike shining in his cerulean eyes.  _At least it's not total hatred I see,_ Dave thought to himself miserably. He smiled sadly at Kurt before standing, pulling the smaller boy up with him. He handed Kurt back his books before walking away. A voice from behind him stopped him dead in his tracks. "What, no insults today? Have you lost your touch, Karofsky?"

Dave turned around slowly. "I've changed, Kurt. No more insults, no more bullying." He shrugged his shoulders before heading to his next class. He shook his head and took a deep breath to clear his head before heading into the classroom, where he met up with Finn and Puck.

"Sup, Karofsky?" Puck greeted as Dave sat down in the desk next to him. Dave nodded his greeting before turning to Finn.

"Hey, why's your brother back at McKinley?" Dace asked his friend, biting his lip.

Finn looked up. "I don't know exactly. Some shit went down between Kurt and some Warbler, so he transferred back here. Blaine, too."

Dave's face hardened at the mention of the curly-haired singer, but he tried his hardest not to let his jealousy show. Instead, he asked another question that had been weighing heavily on his mind since the half-time show that the football team had performed with the glee club last year. He glanced back and forth between the boys. "Hey, uhm… I have a question for you guys. You know that offer about me joining the glee club, does that still stand?"

Finn looked at the boy in surprise. "Is David Karofsky considering becoming a gleek?"

"I'm shocked!" Puck exclaimed sarcastically, chuckling. After a moment, he said, "Well, actually, I'm not shocked at all. More shocked that you didn't join last year, to be honest…. But then again, Kurt wasn't back yet, was he?" Puck winked.

Dave's face burned as all his blood rushed to his cheeks. "Shuddup," he muttered, hiding his flaming face in his hoodie.

Finn laughed. "Yeah, you can still join. Just talk to Schuester after school about auditioning. Dave nodded and looked up to the front of the room where the teacher was beginning her lesson. Finn, on the other hand, continued to watch his friend, his wheels turning. He couldn't help but think about what Puck had said. Could there be a correlation between Kurt coming back and Dave wanting to join New Directions? If so, was it possible that Dave had a thing for Kurt? Finn knew that Dave was gay. Everyone knew Dave was gay. But could he be into Finn's brother?  _Guess I'll have to watch and figure it out,_ Finn thought.

OoOoOo

A few weeks later, Dave was standing outside of the glee room just a few minutes before practice was due to start. His stomach was filled with butterflies as he took several deep breaths to try and calm his nerves. He had already seen Blaine and Kurt head into the room. Blaine had smiled at him encouragingly while Kurt just narrowed his eye at him in confusion. Dave knew that both the boys had been alerted of Dave's new persona, as well as his coming out. According to Finn, Blaine had taken the news swellingly, but Kurt would need a bit more convincing before he accepted that the man who had threatened to kill him really was different.

"It's now or never," Ddave murmered softly to himself before walking into the room. He leaned against the piano at the front of the room when Mr. Schuester made a motion to introduce him.

"Alright, guys, most of you know David here," the majority of the club smiled warmly at Dave, who smiled shyly back," and he wants to audition." Mr. Schuester turned to the boy. "Good luck." He walked away to sit down next to Santana.

"Uhm, hi guys. I'm going to be singing one of my favorite songs that I've kind of felt connected to the last couple of months." He took a deep breath and glanced at Kurt.

"I feel guilty, my words are empty… no signs to give you, don't have the time for you," he sang, his eyes flickering around the room at his friends. "You say I'm heartless, and you say I don't care… I used to be there for you and you said I seem so dead, that I have changed but so have you…."

Dave's voice was shaking as his eyes met with Kurt's. As he sang the first chorus and the next verse, Dave's eyes never left the boy he was so in love with. "Guilty…. Woah, guilty, I feel so empty, yeah. Empty…. You know how to make me feel. I put a shield upon you, didn't mean to hurt you. I would have only poisoned your mind, never meant to make you cry. You've been so thoughtless, I can see right through you. You used to be there for me… don't you leave or say goodbye, cause you have changed but so have I."

As Dave sang the rest of the song, his confidence level grew and he was enjoying himself more and more, even if he was exposing himself to his enemies-turned-friends. When he was done, everyone (except Kurt) clapped loudly. Finn stood and clapped Dave on the shoulder. "That was awesome, man," he commented before both the boys went to sit down.

Dace smiled as he took the chair that Mr. Schuester had been previously occupying. He glanced over at Kurt to see the countertenor staring at him, his eyes trying to calculate just how different Dave was. He flushed as Dave winked at him before turning to face forwards.

As Mr. Schuester started to talk about the new assignment, Kurt continued to state at the side of Dave's head, thinking about just how different the boy seemed, both in appearance and personality. Kurt hated to admit it, but Dave had gotten extremely  _hot_. Even though Kurt had told Dave that he wasn't his type, he was lying before, and he would definitely be lying now if he said the same thing. Dave's newfound slenderness and muscle as completely drool-worthy. Kurt bit his lip as he realized that if Dave truly had changed, and if he continued to be friendly with him, then there was a very real hat possibility that Kurt would fall for his ex-enemy.

Kurt was broken from his thoughts by a nudge in the side from Blaine. "If you keep undressing him with your eyes, he's bound to notice," Blaine whispered.

Kurt glared. "I'm  _not_ 'undressing him with my eyes', Blaine." He narrowed his eyes before turning to face the front again, but he couldn't resist sparing Dave a final glance.

From his position in the front row, Dave's eyes were sparkling as he was filled with excitement to Kurt's staring.

OoOoOo

"….it was so much fun, Azimio. You should really reconsider joining," Dave continued, telling his friend all about his first day in glee club. "And that's not even the best part. We're preparing duets to sing for the back-to-school assembly, and Mr. Schuester decided to pair me up with Kurt."

Azimio laughed. "That's cool, man, but can we go back to our game?" Dave nodded and the boys went back to playing Call of Duty for another hour before Dave checked his watch.

"Hey, I've got to go. Kurt and I are meeting up at noon at his house to work on choosing a song," Dave commented before standing up. Azimio waved and said goodbye as Dave walked out to his beat-up blue pickup truck in Azimio's driveway.

As he drove to Kurt's house (he knew how to get there because he had driven Finn home from football practice earlier that week), Dave sang under his breath. He pulled into the driveway the same time that Finn did. The other boy greeted Dave and both went inside and downstairs to the boys' room. Kurt was sitting on the couch, his legs crossed, flipping through a pile of sheet music and sucking absent mindedly on the end of a pen. Dave felt his heart beat faster as the boy looked up and saw the pair. He smiled softly and nodded a greeting. Kurt beckoned Dave over to look at the music as Finn went back upstairs.

"So, Karofsky—"

"Dave," Dave corrected the boy. Kurt looked at him curiously. "My name's Dave. If we're doing a duet together, you might as well call me by my name. I call you by yours."

Kurt nodded. "Okay, Dave," he said, testing the name out on his tongue. He decided it would take some getting used to, but eventually he'd be able to call the boy by his given name. "Do you have any song that you want to sing?"

Dave shook his head. "I was kind of hoping that you'd have some ideas. I mean, you know more about music then I do, so you're probably better at finding a song that would match both of our voices." Dave went silent for a moment before his heart started to speed up again. "Do you think—no, nevermind, it's stupid."He looked at the ground.

"What is it?"

Dave took a deep breath before bringing his eye's back up to Kurt's. "Could you sing something for me?"

Kurt's eyes opened wide in surprise. "Why do you want me to sing for you?"

Dave shifted uncomfortably. "I've never heard you sing by yourself, and I want to," he admitted in a small voice. "I mean, I heard you when you were a cheerio, and with the rest of the glee club, but I've never heard just you."

Kurt shrugged before a mischievous look come across his eyes. "I'll sing something for you if you sing another song for me." Kurt had to admit, Dave was pretty attractive when he sang, and Kurt wanted to see more of that attractiveness.  _Shit, I'm already starting to get attracted to him,_ Kurt realized as he noticed the comfort he felt when talking to the other boy.

Dave paled slightly. "Uhm, okay," he mumbled as Kurt walked over to his stereo and flipped through another one of the music books that was sitting on his shelf. Finally, he placed one on the piano desk, and started to play. Dave quickly recognized the piece as "Corner of the Sky" from the musical  _Pippin._

As soon as Kurt started to sing, Dave couldn't help but stare. Kurt's eyes sparkled like a diamond when he sang, and Dave was filled with the urge to kiss the beautiful boy in front of him. Kurt really did look stunning when he sang, Dave mused as the boy smiled. Kurt was so engrossed in his song that he didn't notice how intently Dave was watching him. The sweep of his head and the way that Kurt's fingers glided across the piano keys made Dave blush and his heart race.

When Kurt finished his song, he smiled teasingly at his companion. "Your turn." Dave looked around the room until he spotted Kurt's old guitar. Dave gestured at the instrument, and at Kurt's approval, walked over and picked it up.  _(A/n: chose this song because my co-author loves it!)_

"When I watch you, wanna do you, right where you're standing, yeah. Right on the foyer, on this dark day right in plain view… oh, yeah. Of the whole ghetto, the boot-stomped meadows, but we ignore that, yeah. You're lovely baby. This war is crazy, I won't let you down… oh, no no…" When Dave started singing, Kurt stared at the boy.  _Holy Gaga, he's hotter than Blaine is,_ Kurt thought as he took in the boy's biceps that bulged with every strum of the guitar. Dave was wearing a muscle shirt that left nothing to the imagination. Kurt mentally begged the shirt to disappear before looking at the man's large, calloused hands.  _Oh Gaga, I wonder what those hands would feel like on my… no, bad Kurt! Don't think thought like that! He's David Karofsky, remember? Bully, homophobe…. Who is now out at gay, and friendly. And everyone in glee loves him, so something must have changed since I was gone, right?_

Kurt was forced out of his thoughts by a hand waving in front of him. He hadn't even noticed that Dave had finished his song. "Zoning out, buddy?" Dave asked, winking. Kurt blushed.

"Hey, what do you say we take a break?" Kurt suggested, suddenly not in the mood to sing. More than anything at that very moment he wanted to be closer to Dave, but at the same time, it was the very last thing that he wanted to do. Dave laughed, saying that they hadn't even gotten anything done yet, but agreed anyway. The boys decided that they would just hang out at get to know each other better.

The boys fell onto opposite sides of the couch. Kurt was the first to speak. "Okay, Dave, tell me why you've apparently changed." Dave's eyes widened in surprise at how to the point Kurt was for a moment before he regained his composure.

"Promise you won't laugh?" Kurt nodded. "Okay. Well, after you left, I felt horrible about what I had done. I'm so sorry about everything, by the way. I was a total dick to you. I'm shocked that you're even being nice to me," he admitted softly before getting back on topic. "Anyway, after you left, I came out to my friends almost immediately. Well, technically, Azimio guessed, but that's not what we're talking about. After I came out to the football team and hockey team, I realized that the only reason I had been such a jerk was because I was terrified that someone would figure out what I really was, and since I was out, that wasn't an issue anymore."

"What about the slushy-ing and pushing people into lockers? When did that stop?"

Dave blushed. "Well, actually…. Uhm…. You were the only person I pushed into lockers." His blush darkened even more as he looked at Kurt. He looked back away. "And the slushies….. Well, I just decided that there wasn't any reason to slushy anyone. I guess I kind of hoped that if you ever came back, I'd be a different, nicer person, and I didn't like the person that I had become at all." Dave looked up again. He jumped slightly when he realized that during his admission, Kurt had moved closer. Dave's breath caught as he realized that their thighs were touching, and that Kurt had placed his hand over Dave's. Dave once again feel the overwhelming urge to kiss the boy at the same intensity as it had been in the locker room before everything went wrong, but this time, Dave wasn't so sure that Kurt would push him away if the look in Kurt's eyes held any truth. Deciding to test the waters, Dave started to lean forward slightly. Kurt too began to move forward. Their noses were almost touching when Finn came bounding down the steps, causing the boys to jump apart.

"I better get going," Dave said in a rush as he quickly stood up. Finn gave Dave a strange look, his head cocked to the side. "I'll see you tomorrow to practice, Kurt." Dave sent a brief smile towards the boys before heading up the steps and outside. Once he was gone, Finn looked at Kurt.

"Did I miss something?" he asked.

OoOoOo

That night, Kurt couldn't sleep. He couldn't stop thinking about what had nearly happened with David.  _He was going to kiss me. David Karofsky was going to kiss me._ Kurt shook his. He knew that Dave was most likely still attracted to him, if his actions had anything to do with it.  _Actually, I don't know for sure that Dave was_ ever  _attracted to me,_ Kurt thought. He was shocked to realize that he was actually somewhat disappointed that he didn't know. Dave had never flat-out said that he had a thing for Kurt. Sure, he kissed him in the locker room, so what? It's possible that perhaps Dave was so confused about his feelings that he couldn't help but try and kiss the only other gay guy at McKinley. That would make sense. But what about tonight's almost kiss? What did that mean? Maybe it was just in the heat of the moment, like an afterthought. Kurt hoped that wasn't the case.

Kurt groaned he thought more about how different the boy had been with Kurt in the last month. Dave had been thoughtful and friendly with Kurt, smiling at him in the hallways and helping him in Algebra 2 a few days earlier when Kurt was confused about a problem that Dave had already completed several minutes prior. The more Kurt thought about it, the more he realized that he definitely had developed a crush on the boy over the course of the first month of school. He was struggling to believe it was true, though. Why would Kurt fall for the boy who bullied him for three years? It didn't make any sense, and yet, talking to David and being near him physically felt like the most natural thing in the world. And if Dave didn't feel the same way back…. Kurt groaned again as he hit his head against the pillow. He needed to find a way to tell if the boy wanted him back. He needed Blaine.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, Dave woke up feeling extremely giddy. He would be going back over to Kurt's house around noon to actually  _pick_ a song, since nothing had obviously gotten done the day previously. Dave glanced at his clock to see that it was still rather early, only 8 o'clock, so he decided to go for a run in the park.

As Dave walked into his kitchen, he spotted his mother, Janelle, drinking coffee at the kitchen table and working on a crossword puzzle. "Morning, mom," Dave said, leaning over to kiss the woman on the cheek. She smiled at him.

"Good morning." She put her coffee down as Dave poured himself a bowl of cereal. "So what're your plans for the day?"

Dave took a bite of his Luck Charms™ before answering. "I'm going to go for a run, then later I'm heading over to Kurt's house, if that's fine with you?" He let out a small smile at the boy's name.

Janelle's eyes narrowed slightly in concern. "Dave, be careful," she warned. "He nearly got you expelled last year, and with how you feel about him…"

"Mom, I'll be fine," Dave interrupted. "Me and Kurt are on pretty friendly terms now. He's cool with me."

Janelle sighed. "If you're sure about that, then I suppose that it's fine. I just don't want to see you getting hurt."

Dave finished his breakfast before responding a couple of minutes later. "Like I said, I'll be fine. Worst case, he doesn't like me back. I can deal with that." He bit his lip before looking up at his mother to see her watching him. "What?"

She shook her head. "When did my baby boy get so grown up?" she asked. Dave laughed before kissing Janelle on the cheek again.

"I love you, mom," Dave said. He put his now-empty bowl in the dishwasher before going upstairs to change into a pair of sweats and a tee shirt. He grabbed his keys before heading to the park.

OoOoOo

A few hours later, Dave found himself standing at the Hummel-Hudson's front door. He knocked, fiddling his hands nervously as he waiting for someone to let him in. He looked up at Burt opened the door.

"Uhm, hello, sir," Dave stuttered as the man narrowed his eyes at the boy. Dave forced a smile.

"Hello, David," Burt responded. He glanced behind himself into the house before stepping outside and closing the door behind him. Dave's nerves simply got worse. Burt looked him square in the eye before starting what he wanted to say. "Listen here, son. I understand that you have apparently changed, and that Kurt now views you as a friend," Dave's eyes lit up at this, "but that doesn't mean that I trust you. You put my son through hell and back, and it's going to take a lot more than my son's word for you to gain my trust. Got that?"

Dave nodded stiffly. "I understand, sir," he answered. Burt nodded back.

"Good. Now that we're clear, you can go on inside. Kurt and Finn are in their room." Burt opened the door again and both men stepped inside. Dave made his way to Kurt's room, pausing and letting out a deep breath before opening the door. He had to admit it, Kurt's dad was rather scary when he was threatening someone. Dave had seen Kurt's wrath when Burt had slammed Dave up against a wall last year when Dave had made fun of Finn and Kurt dancing, and Dave had no doubt in his mind that Kurt's dad could seriously injure Dave if he wanted to . He knocked once before walking in to see Kurt lounging on the couch, watching Finn play video games. Dave cleared his throat, causing the countertenor to look up. Kurt smiled widely when he saw who it was. Dave smiled back.

Finn watched the exchange in amusement. He winked at Kurt before standing, hearing Burt call down that Quinn had arrived. "Well, I'll be upstairs with Quinn if you need me." The boys nodded as Finn walked back upstairs.

Dave moved over to where Kurt was sitting, deciding to join his crush on the couch. "So, Kurt…" he started. "I was listening to one of my sister's cds in my car on the way here, and I found one of my favorite songs on it. I think we could try it as a duet."

Kurt nodded. "Okay. What song is it?"

"It's called  _Broken_ by Seether. Do you know it?"

Kurt shook his head. "It sounds familiar, but I'm not certain. Can you sing the first verse for me?" Dave nodded before pulling out his iPhone™, quickly bringing up the guitar part on youtube.

He made eye contact with Kurt before beginning to sing. "I wanted you to know, I love the way you laugh. I want to hold you high and steal your pain away. I keep your photograph, and I know it serves me well. I want to hold you high and steal your pain," he sang, wondering if Kurt knew just how much the song applied to him. He really did love the way the boy laughed….

Kurt joined in with him on the chorus, having obviously recognized the song. "Cause I'm broken, when I'm lonesome., and I don't feel right, when you're gone away. You're gone away. You don't feel me here anymore."

Kurt took over the next part by himself, his voice powerful and clear. "The worst is over now, and we can breathe again." He thought about how this part connected to the start of his Dalton. He truly had believed that the worst was over when he had left. "I want to hold you high, you steal my pain away. There's so much left to learn, and no one left to fight. I want to hold you high and steal your pain."

The boys sang the chorus together again. "Cause I'm broken when I'm open and I don't feel like I am strong enough. Caused I'm broken when I'm lonesome, and I don't feel right when you're gone away…" their voices trailed off as the boys realized how close they had gotten while singing. Dave could feel Kurt's breath on his lips, and it was driving him crazy. He had to focus on something else, anything else, so he forced himself to lean back and grab a music book off of the coffee table.

"What's  _Rent?"_ Dave asked, looking at the front page. Kurt's jaw dropped.

"You've never seen Rent?" he exclaimed. Dave shook his head. "How is that possible?"

Dave shrugged. "Should I have seen it?"

Kurt nodded enthusiastically. "Of course, it's only one of the best musicals of all time! We have to watch it." Dave groaned. He hated watching musicals. Kurt rolled his eyes at the boy before heading up the steps to grab the movie out of the living room. When he came back, Finn and Quinn were behind him. "It's Quinn's favorite movie too," Kurt explained when he saw Dave's confused face.

Dave moved over to a cushy lounge chair so that Quinn and Finn could have the couch. After Kurt put in the movie, the smaller boy made himself comfortable at Dave's feet, leaning his head onto the jock's knee and sighing contentedly. Dave immediately felt his cheeks start to burn as Kurt wrapped one of his arms around one of Dave's lower legs.

As the first song started up, Dave was quickly pulled into the movie. He could see why Kurt and Quinn loved it so much. The movie had even managed to make Dave cry, a feat not very easily achieved. He couldn't even image losing the man he was in love with to aids... how much would that suck to finally fall madly in love just to have them taken away from you so suddenly? He didn't think that he would be able to bear it. Dave sighed as he continued to run his fingers through Kurt's hair, something he had found himself doing after Kurt had moved onto his lap the second time  _Seasons of Love_ had been sung. Dave wasn't sure what prompted the boy to move, but there was no way he was going to complain. Kurt had also somehow managed to fall asleep against the boy's chest.

"I don't know how he could fall asleep during one of his favorite movies," Finn commented softly to Quinn, laughing at the boys. Dave subconsciously pulled Kurt a little bit closer to him, twisting the boy's silky brown hair around his fingers, gazing longingly at the beautiful creature on his lap.

"Be quiet, Finn, I think it's cute how much Dave loves Kurt," Quinn whispered back, snuggling into Finn's shoulder. He smiled at the girl before kissing her lightly on the forehead. He turned back to Dave, clearing his throat loudly, trying to get Dave's attention. He tried twice more before the jock looked up. "So, how long have you been in love with my brother?" Finn joked, winking at his friend.

Dave blushed. He darted his eyes around the room, trying to act calm. "What are you talking about, Finn?"

Finn gestured to Kurt. "I'm talking about that." Dave glanced quickly at Kurt before leaning his cheek against the sleeping boy's head. "Dude, you can't hold him like that and  _not_ be in love with him."

"Do you want me to want your brother, Finn?" Dave asked softly. He knew that Finn considered him a friend, even with all the shit that Dave had put the glee club through the last few years, but he was having a hard time understanding why Finn approved of his feelings for Kurt. If anyone had ever treated Dave's sister the way that Dave had treated Kurt, there was  _no way_ he'd ever even  _consider_ letting that person date her. He thought it was the same for Finn, but maybe it wasn't. Dave really hoped that it wasn't.

Finn paused for a moment before nodding. "Not going to say that it's not going to be strange, but I've seen the way he is around you. I haven't seen him smile as much as he has in these last few days in _months._ I don't know if he loves you back, but you seem to be doing something right."

The room was quiet for several moments before anyone said anything again. "Three years," Dave said softly. The duo on the couch looked at Dave in confusion. "I've loved him for three years," Dave explained. At the pair's shocked looks, he sighed before kissing the top of Kurt's head softly. He once again shifted so both he and Kurt would be more comfortable before wrapping his arms firmly around Kurt's waist, trying not to shiver when he felt Kurt's breath warm on his neck. Finn and Quinn were silent as they watched Dave, evidently both deciding to drop the subject of Dave's feelings and just watch. They grew antsy a little while later, though, and returned back upstairs to work on their own duet.

Once Kurt and Dave were alone, Dave kissed he top of the boy's head again before whispering, "I love you so much, Kurt." He himself fell asleep a short while later.

OoOoOo

"Finn, where's Kurt and Dave?" Burt asked as Finn returned from driving Quinn home several hours later. Burt hadn't heard a sound from the boys since the movie had started, and he was starting to get a little worried.

"They're probably still downstairs, dad," Finn assured his stepdad. Burt narrowed his eyes.

"It's been totally silent down there for hours, I want you to go and check it out," Burt said. Finn rolled his eyes before sitting down at the table. He bit his lip in thought before saying what he was on his mind.

"Burt, what do you think of Dave?"

"What do you mean?"

Finn stopped for a moment to think about what he wanted to say. "I mean, what do you think of him as a future boyfriend for Kurt."

Burt's eye's narrowed. "No. Out of the question."

"But, Burt—"

"Why would you even ask me a question like that? He may be your friend, but I don't want a boy like that to date my son."

An awkward silence filled the room as the men stared at each other. Finally, Finn spoke. "He loves him, you know."

"Who loves who?"

"Dave loves Kurt. Always has, apparently. And from what I've seen, the last thing on Dave's mind is hurting Kurt." At Burt's furrowed eye's, Finn sighed. "Dad, go downstairs and look for yourself. Watch how Dave touches Kurt."

Burt huffed and nodded gruffly before standing. "Fine, I'll go see what's going on." The closer Burt got to the steps though, the more he felt like perhaps Finn was right. Deciding that maybe it  _would_ be a good idea to observe, Burt crept down the steps as quietly as he could, thankful that the basement was dark except for the lamp next to Dave and Kurt. Although, it seemed as though Dave was so focused on the boy in front of him that even if the basement had been in full light, he wouldn't have noticed Burt standing there. As Burt moved in as close as he could without disturbing the boys, he could see it. He could see the love shining in the jock's eyes for his boy, could tell how deeply he cared by how he cradled Kurt's body against his own larger one gently, as if afraid that if he held too tight, the boy would disappear and the moment would seek to exist. Burt could tell that this was how Dave felt because it was the same way that Burt felt the first time he had been lucky enough to hold Carol in his arms.

What shocked Burt the most was the way that the boy was speaking to his son. Burt listened attentively as Dave spoke. "You're so beautiful, Kurt," he heard the boy whisper. Burt was sure that Dave was being so heart-breakingly honest because he most certainly believed that he'd never get a chance like this again. "I'm so sorry for everything I've done to you… I don't deserve a moment like this. You're amazing. You're smart, you're funny, you're brilliant at French, you are the most talented singer I've ever met. You're clothes may be outlandish, but you were them so proudly that it doesn't matter. I'm the luckiest man in the world to have you in my arms right now, even if it's only for a few hours. God, I love you so much." Dave kissed the boy's forehead before nuzzling his nose into Kurt's hair, inhaling deeply the boy's scent. The scene was enough to melt the stone around Burt's heart. He only wished that his son had been awake to hear the beautiful words that were being said about him.

Maybe Finn was right. Maybe he should give Dave a chance to love his son. Maybe.


	3. Chapter 3

When Kurt woke up the morning, he found Finn sitting on his bed. "Whadya wahn?" Kurt mumbled groggily, rubbing his eyes as he reach onto his nightstand to turn off his blaring alarm clock.

"No school today," Finn announced, watching his brother. Kurt groaned and dropped back down onto his pillow, closing his eyes again.

"So you decided that rather than going back to bed, you would sit here and bug me when I got up?" Finn nodded. Kurt groaned again. "Ugh, why?"

"I need your help with something," Finn admitted after a moment. "I have to give a presentation tomorrow in marketing, and Quinn told me that she would purposely make use fail if I didn't dress better that I normally do for presentations." Kurt snorted and nodded knowingly. It was true, Finn on presentation day didn't look much better than Rachel did on a normal day, although it was true that she had gotten better since having gotten together with Puck over the summer.

Kurt sat up slowly, leaning back against his headboard for a moment before turning and getting out of bed. "Fine. We'll go to the mall later then. I'm bringing Blaine along too, by the way. It'll take more than just me to make you look presentable.

"I'll bring Dave along too then," Finn declared. Kurt nodded in agreement.

"So why don't we have school today?" Kurt asked after a moment. As Finn opened his mouth to reply, Kurt's phone buzzed. He opened the message he had received to see that it had come from the school website alerting the students of a power outage at McKinley. "Oh. Nevermind."

Finn nodded as he got back off of Kurt's bed. "How long do you think it'll take for you to get ready?"

Kurt glanced at his clock. "Give me an hour, and then we'll leave. We can pick up Blaine and Dave on the way."

"Actually, Dave will be over in twenty minutes," Finn admitted. "I invited him before you got up." Kurt rolled his eyes and nodded. He got up and started to get ready for the day.

OoOoOo

About an hour and a half later, the four boys were on their way to the mall. Dave and Finn were up front, and Blaine and Kurt were in the back seats. They were talking quietly.

"Blaine, I need your help with Dave," Kurt whispered to his friend. "I can't tell if he likes me or not. I need your help to figure out how he feels. Any ideas?"

Blaine's eyes lit up. "Well, what if we tried to make him jealous?"

"How do you propose we do that?"

"Well, what if we took him and Finn into the GAP store? We could act like we're finding Finn clothes there, and Jeremiah could act like he's flirting with you in front of Dave." Kurt grinned.

"Oooh, using your boyfriend as a weapon, Blaine?"

Blaine nodded proudly. "Yep. My baby will do anything for me, even if that means he has to be flirty and touchy-feely with another man." Blaine chuckled before pulling out his phone and texting Jeremiah of the plan.

Kurt turned his attention back to the front. He quickly noticed that Dave was watching him in the mirror that resided on the back of the sun visor. Dave smiled at the boy as their eyes met. Kurt smiled back.

Soon, the group had pulled into the parking lot. "Where to first?" Finn asked, looking at the fashionistas. Dave too looked over, but he was more concerned with staring at Kurt than he was with anything that Finn said.

Kurt and Blaine shared a sly smile before Blaine spoke. "Follow me," he announced, walking through the mall with so much confidence it seemed that he owned the place.

Once into the store, the group immediately went to find dress clothes for Finn. Blaine, having decided that Kurt must try something on as well so that Jeremiah would have an excuse to touch him, also went to try and find something that Kurt would look hot in. He eventually found a pair of tight grey skinny jeans.

When the group met up back at the fitting room, Blaine thrust the jeans at Kurt before ushering Finn into a stall, telling him which shirt went with which pair of pants, and vice versa. He made sure to take Finn the furthest away as he could so that Kurt and Dave could be alone. Kurt changed clothes before coming back out in the jeans and the black muscle shirt he had been wearing under his button down. He smirked when he saw Dave's jaw drop at the jeans. They were skin tight, and showed every curve of Kurt's toned legs. Kurt's top was also taunt against his skin.

"How do I look?" Kurt asked. Dave gaped at the boy, speechless.

"You, you look—" Dave started, stuttering.

Dave's thought was cut off by another voice. "You look downright sexy in those jeans. Great ass." Jeremiah winked at Blaine, who was watching from the end of the hall, before sauntering over to Kurt, placing one of his hands on Kurt's hip. "Although, you could always go a size tighter to showcase your…. package."

Kurt laughed. "I'm sure this size will be fine, thanks." He went back into the room to change back into his original jeans, but decided to continue to wear only the muscle shirt. He had to admit, he loved the way that Dave's eyes bugged out at seeing something on Kurt that was so different from his everyday wardrobe.

When he came back out, Jeremiah was still standing near the dressing room, pretending to sort through the rack of clothes closest to the area. Kurt walked over to the older boy, saying, "Would you happen to have anything a little less stiff-legged than these jeans?"

"Well, I'm sure I have something that you wouldn't mind being stiff," Jeremiah answered, winking. Kurt grinned inwardly as he heard Dave let out a strangled, choked noise from behind them. Jeremiah grabbed a looser pair of jeans off the rack. "Perhaps you need my help getting these jeans on? They can be tricky to do by yourself, you know."

"He's fine, thanks," Dave spat, obviously getting angry at the exchange in front of him. His eyes were flashing dangerously the more and more angry he got, but he was trying  _so hard_ to keep himself in check for Kurt's sake.

Jeremiah raised an eyebrow at the jock. "I'm sorry, but I don't believe that I was speaking to you." He turned back to Kurt, eyes scanning up and down his body. He casually clasped Kurt's wrist. "Perhaps there are some other things I could do for you?" he murmered, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Suddenly, Dave stood up. "Goddamnit, I can't watch this," he muttered before storming out of the store.

Kurt turned back to Jeremiah, eye's wide. "He's definitely jealous. Now run, Hummel! Go and get your man!" Jeremiah demanded. Kurt nodded and took off running, trying to spot Dave through the throngs of people at the mall. He searched for several minutes before sighing in defeat, his shoulders drooping. It was then that he walked past the food court and spotted Dave staring moodily into a smoothie. Kurt rushed over to him.

"Hi," Kurt murmered, sliding into the booth across from his crush. The jock glanced up briefly before casting his eyes back down and focusing onto his smoothie once more.

"Hey," Dave answered softly. He swirled the straw around the orange liquid, sighing quietly as he did so.

After considering what he was doing for a moment, Kurt reached out and place his hand over the larger boy's, intertwining their fingers lightly. He offered Dave a small smile before asking, "Is everything okay? You left pretty abruptly back there."

Dave nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine." He winced as he heard his voice crack. He knew that it would be obvious to Kurt that he definitely was  _not_ fine. Kurt got up and moved so that he was sitting next to Dave. Once he too was seated, he lifted Dave's muscular arm off the table and placed it around his shoulders. He wrapped his arms around the larger boy's waist before resting his head on Dave's broad shoulders. Kurt could feel the heat coming off of Dave's cheeks, which by this point were getting redder and redder.

"You know you can tell me what's bothering you, Dave," Kurt reminded his friend. "I won't laugh."

Dave glanced at the boy next to him. "I know you won't, it's just…" he broke off, unsure of if he was ready to admit the truth about how he felt. He came to the decision that even if he didn't tell Kurt  _right this very moment,_ he would still tell him by the end of the day. He was terrified, but he had to know if the countertenor felt the same way he did. "I guess I was just jealous of that sales guy."

"Why were you jealous, Dave?" Kurt asked, faking confusion. On the inside, he was bouncing with joy that Blaine and his plan had worked.

Dave shrugged, an awkward task to complete, seeing as Kurt still had his head on Dave's shoulder. "I just didn't like how he was talking to you. He was totally coming on to you, and it just made me mad."

"Why did it make you mad?"

Dave lifted Kurt's head with a single finger so the boy was looking at him. "Can we not talk about this right now, Kurt? I promise I'll tell you soon, but for now, can we just drop it?"

Kurt sighed before nodding. He stood up, holding his hand out to pull the other boy up with him. Once both the boys were standing, Dave made to let go of Kurt's hand, but Kurt just held on tighter, his heart pounding wildly.

As the boys started to walk back to the GAP store, Dave's eyes never left Kurt. Suddenly, Dave stopped moving. Kurt looked at him in confusion. "What's wrong, Dave?"

Dave shook his head, his eyes conflicted. He was obviously debating with himself about something. After a moment, though, he seemed to have made a decision, as he moved closer to Kurt.  _Oh my God, he's going to kiss me,_ Kurt thought. He closed his eyes in anticipation. Dave didn't kiss him, though. He simply pushed a stray hair behind Kurt's ear, moving closer once again.

"Can I—" Dave started before his voice broke off. He took a deep breath before trying again. "Can… can I kiss you, Kurt?" Dave raised his eyes slowly to look at Kurt through his lashed, his eyes hopeful and pleading.

Awed by the boy's adorable way of asking for a kiss, Kurt momentarily lost his ability to think, speak, or move. Dave sighed and dropped his head before moving back and nodding sadly, obviously taking Kurt's silence as a rejection. Kurt regained his ability to speak as Dave's shoulders dropped and he turned to walk away. "I never said no, did I?" Dave spun around and his head snapped up, his jaw dropped, but he seemed unable to tell his feet to move forward again. Kurt laughed before moving forward and pulling Dave towards him, smashing their lips together.

The kiss was soft and romantic, everything that Kurt had ever dreamed that a  _real_ kiss should feel like. It was completely different than the kiss in the locker room had been, and Kurt was certain he would be a puddle of goo on the floor if Dave hadn't wrapped his arms around the boy's waist to pull him closer.

When the boys finally separated, Dave leaned their foreheads together, tightening his arms around Kurt so he could hold him closer. He kissed Kurt on the nose before whispering, "I'm absolutely crazy about you, Kurt. Will you be my boyfriend?"

OoOoOo

When the boys finally went back to the store, they found Blaine and Finn sitting on a bench outside the store with their bags discussing Glee club. The boys looked up to see Kurt and Dave's joined hands and identical smiles. "Finally!" Finn shouted before jumping up to embrace his brother and his brother's new boyfriend. Dave smiled before squeezing Kurt's hand. A flutter of happiness shot through Dave as he mentally called Kurt his boyfriend.

The boys shopped for a few more hours before they decided that it was time for them to go home. Finn invited Dave to stay over for dinner, and he happily accepted. They dropped Blaine off on the way back home.

Dave and Kurt were currently sitting on Kurt's bed after dinner, watching  _Silent Hill_ with Finn, but Dave was once again caught up in his boyfriend. Dave couldn't help but lean over and kiss Kurt softly again. He could feel fireworks going off and his heart swelling twice its normal size as he held the boy he loved more than life itself in his arms.

Dave felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, so he pulled away from Kurt for a moment to get it out. As soon as it was out though, he leaned against the wall and pulled Kurt between his legs so that was the countertenor's back was resting against the jock's chest. Dave flipped upon his phone. He chuckled at the message from Azimio before showing it to Kurt.

_**Hey dude. Hows your date with the gleeks? ;) ;) ;) –A** _

Dave quickly punched back a response.  _ **It's fucking awesome. Guess what? –D**_

_**What?** _

_**Kurt said yes! :D :D :D :D** _

_**To….?** _

Dave rolled his eyes at the message before he received another one.  _ **OH! Kurt said yes! Does that mean you finally grew a pair and told him how you feel?**_

Kurt smiled at his boyfriend before taking the phone out of his hands and answering Azimio himself.  _ **Well, to be more accurate, I kissed Dave because he couldn't seem to speak when I told him I wanted him to kiss me :]. But yes, to put it so crudely, he 'grew a pair' and asked me out. Now stop texting my man; I'm trying to cuddle with him. –Kurt**_

Kurt sent the message before showing it to Dave, who laughed. Kurt smiled widely before turning to his side and snuggling into Dave's neck, sighing contentedly as he breathed in his boyfriend's scent.

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Tuesday**

When Dave woke up for school the next day, he was in a great mood. He was ecstatic to be able to act like Kurt's boyfriend in public.

When Dave had gotten home last night, he told his mother all about the shopping trip. Janelle, of course, was thrilled at her son's happiness, and couldn't wait to meet Kurt officially as her son's boyfriend.

Dave switched on his computer after he got out of the shower to check his facebook. He was pleased to see that his changed relationship status had been noted by several of his friends.

**David Karofsky is now in a relationship with Kurt Hummel.**

_**Kurt Hummel, Azimio Adams, Finn Hudson, and 15 others like this.** _

_**Azimio Adams:** _ _Took you two long enough!_

_**Rachel Berry:** _ _I KNEW YOU LIKED HIM!_

_**Noah Puckerman:** _ _Dude, you hurt him, I beat your ass. On that note, congrats :]_

_**Santana Lopez:** _ _I second what Puck said, Karofsky._

_**Brittany Pierce:** _ _San, what are we seconding?_

_**Santana Lopez:** _ _That we'll hurt Dave if he hurts Kurt, Brit._

_**Brittany Pierce:** _ _Why is Dave hurting Kurt? Mr. Fluffy says that Dave won't hurt Kurt..._ _**Quinn Fabray likes this.** _

_**Quinn Fabray:** _ _B, your cat is right. Santana, explain our threat to your girl. I also agree with what Puck and Santana said._

Dave laughed as he read the other comments on his page. He couldn't help but grin at the glee club's approval and declarations that they all knew of his feelings for Kurt, although he was sure that that was most likely true. Those singers were way more observant than people gave them credit for. He was also amused by the threats he was receiving. There was no way that he would hurt Kurt if he could help it. It was far more likely that if anyone would end up getting hurt, it would be him.

"Dave! Your ride is here!" Janelle called up the stairs from the kitchen. Dave's brows furrowed in confusion. No one was expected to pick him up…. Suddenly, it came to him. Kurt and Finn. Of course. He ran down the steps to meet his boyfriend and his boyfriend's brother. He smiled widely when he saw that he was correct.

"Hi, Kurt," he said happily, giving Kurt a quick peck on the cheek. Janelle smiled at the show of affection.

"Good morning," Kurt answered, a slight rose blush covering his cheeks as Dave intertwined their fingers. He gave Dave's hand a light squeeze, making his man blush in response. Kurt smiled at Janelle before the boys went out to Finn's car. Janelle waved as they pulled out of the drive.

When the trio got to glee practice that was taking place before school that day, the new couple was immediately ambushed with questions about their new relationship. Everyone wanted to know when they got together, how it had happened, who asked who out, things like that, and Dave was happy to answer anything that was thrown their way, within reason. What surprised Dave the most at glee club that morning though, was that Azimio had decided to be there. Dave had a slight idea that Azimio was there to get to know Mercedes better (he had always suspected that Azimio had a thing for the fiery diva). His suspicions were concerned when Azimio immediately sat down next to the girl and struck up a conversation about how good he thought she did at the cheerio competition a few weeks prior.

"Alright everyone, quiet down!" Mr. Schuester called as he walked into the classroom. Chairs shuffled as everyone found a seat. Dave put his arm around Kurt as he leaned his chair back against the wall. Kurt shifted his head and pressed a light kiss to Dave's wrist before reaching up and threading their fingers together. He leaned his head on Dave's shoulder. Mr. Schuester started to talk again. "I wanted to welcome Azimio Adams to the club. Would you care to sing anything for us, Mr. Adams?"

"Uhm…." Azimio answered, not sure if he wanted to or not.

Mercedes nudged him with her shoulder. "Come on Adams, show us what you got." She winked at him. Dave held back laughter as Azimio tensed.

"I don't know what song to sing though," Azimio admitted.

Mercedes smiled coyly. "I heard you singing  _Ain't no mountain high enough_ the other day after practice, why don't we sing that together?" Azimio's eyes widened as he nodded.

The duo stood up as everyone cheered for them. Azimio cleared his throat nervously before starting the first verse. "Listen, baby, ain't no mountain high, ain't no valley low, ain't no river wide enough, baby."

Mercedes sang the next section. "If you need me call me, no matter where you are, no matter how far. Just call my name, I'll be there in a hurry, you don't have to worry…"

Azimio's confidence grew with every word that he sang until his booming voice was as stunning as Mercedes' was. Somewhere in the middle of the song, the two had started dancing, Azimio twirling the diva around the room smoothly. As they sang the last chorus, Azimio pulled Mercedes close, finally planting a kiss on her lips as the club erupted into cheers.

When Azimio and Mercedes sat back down, their fingertips loosely joined, Dave leaned over to his best friend. "Guess you finally grew a pair, eh?" he whispered, quoting Azimio's words from last night when he found out Kurt and Dave were together.

Azimio rolled his eyes. "Shut up, Dave."Azimio's wide grin threw off any venom that he was trying to use in his tone. Dave laughed as he leaned back to his spot, pulling Kurt closer as they listened to Rachel Berry ramble about regionals.

OoOoOo

The school day went by pretty smoothly, although several people stopped both Dave and Kurt to ask what had gotten them together. Most of the school remembered exactly how much Dave had bullied Kurt, and even though they could tell that Dave had changed, they had a hard time believing that Kurt had forgiven Dave so easily.

Dave was surprised at how quickly the day had gone. He only had football practice left, and then he would be heading over to Kurt's house to work on their duet again, although he had a feeling there would be more kissing than singing. At least that's what he was hoping for. Currently Dave, Finn, and Azimio were running the thirty laps that coach beast had decided would be a good warm up for the team. They were only on the fifteenth lap, and already they were exhausted. Dave and Finn were teasing their friend about Mercedes.

"So, did you ask her our?" Dave asked, winking.

Azimio blushed. "Not yet…"

Finn laughed. "Dude, why not? You two kissed this morning, I think that constitutes as a good reason to ask her out!"

"Wow, where'd you learn a word like  _constitutes,_ Hudson?" Azimio teased as Finn tripped over his feet and tumbled onto the track. Coach Beaste yelled from across the field for Finn to get off the ground and run an extra lap. He groaned as he caught up with the other two.

"Seriously though, why didn't you ask her out?" Dave asked. Azimio shrugged.  
"I don't know. I'll do it the next time I see her," Azimio answered after a moment. The boys went silent for a few moments until they spotted Brittany and Santana running to Coach Beaste.

"I wonder why they're out here. Cheerios don't have practice today, do they?" Dave asked. The other two boys shook their heads as they watched their coach's face go from annoyance at being interrupted to concern. She nodded slowly before Brittany and Santana left the track.

Coach Beaste looked over at the boys. "Hudson! Karofsky! Get over here!" The boys in question looked at each other in confusion before doing as their coach asked and running over to her.

Dave grew nervous as he saw Beaste's expression. Her eyes showed sadness and she was biting her lip, looking as though she wasn't sure what she wanted to say. "This isn't easy for me to say." She took a deep breath. "Look, boys, there was an accident…" she trailed off.

Finn's eye's narrowed. "What happened? Who's hurt?"

As Coach Beaste answered, Dave felt his heart plummet to his stomach. "It's your friend, Kurt…. A semi collided with his car. I'm sorry."


	5. Chapter 5

Dave's heart stopped as he looked at Coach Beaste. His chest constricted painfully before he and Finn took off running towards the parking lot. They had an unspoken agreement to take Finn's car. Dave was in no condition to drive; he was shaking, his breathing was uneven, and his vision was blurred with hot tears. Dave was so freaked out already that he didn't need to crash his own car and make it that much worse.

Every step felt like miles to Dave as he tried to get to the car. He was terrified. He had  _finally_ made Kurt his boyfriend, and now, he could lose the one person that meant the world to him, only this time, there would be no way to win Kurt back. He would be gone forever. Dave choked back a sob as the boys finally got to the car. Dave threw open the door to the red Volvo, buckling his seatbelt as Finn hurriedly started the car and pressed the gas pedal to the floor. The engine roared to life as the boys sped off in the direction of the hospital.

 _Please, God, please let Kurt be okay,_ Dave silently prayed as blurs of trees sped by in the window besides him. His heart beat faster and faster as time dragon on, each second taking longer than the last. After what had felt like years, the glowing red cross atop Lima's only hospital entered Dave's line of sight.

Dave heard a sound next to him. It took him a moment to realize that Finn had said something. "Huh?" Dave asked dully. Finn glanced over at his companion once again.

"I said, I'll drop you off at the door and meet you inside," Finn stated again, putting the cat in park so that Dave could get out. Dave's body felt like lead as he stepped out onto the monochrome grey asphalt paving the road, his legs shaking as he made his way towards the door. He cast his eyes around the entrance hall before he spotted Burt sitting in a chair at the end of it, his head in his hands. The shaking of his shoulders led Dave to believe that Burt was crying. Dave's heart dropped into his stomach, and he forced himself not to cry.  _You don't know if he's dead yet, he could be fine,_ Dave reminded himself. He let out a shuddering breath before making his way down the hall.

"Mr. Hummel?" Dave said quietly as he reached the older man. Burt looked up, his eyes rimmed in red. "How's Kurt doing?"

Burt shrugged. "I don't know yet. No one in this fucking hospital will give me information on how my only child is doing," he spat bitterly, glaring at a nurse as she walked by. He sighed as he dropped his head back into his hands. Dave sat down next to him, trying his hardest to stay strong and comfort Kurt's dad when a voice was suddenly heard from in front of them.

"Mr. Hummel?" the nurse began before reaching out and placing a hand on Burt's knee. "Your son just woke up. He's going to be okay. You two can go in and see him, but I'm warning you, it's not a pretty sight."

Both Dave and Burt shot out of their seats and followed the nurse into a sanitary white-washed room that was silent except for the steady beep of Kurt's monitor. Dave broke down into sobs once more when he saw the mangled body of his boyfriend, the blood-soaked bandages encircling his body making him look more like a mummy than a human being. Burt rushed to his son, taking one of Kurt's hands in his own larger one before beckoning Dave to do the same with the other. Still holding onto Kurt, Burt sank down into the chair next to Kurt's bed as sobs wracked his body once more. Dave leaned over to Kurt and kissed his boyfriend lightly on the forehead.

"God, Kurt, never scare me like that again," Dave whispered as tears rolled down his cheeks, splashing against Kurt's bed sheets.  _He may look like the Devil spat him back out, but at least he's okay._


	6. Chapter 6

Kurt didn't speak much during the rest of the day. He was in too much pain too move much after he awoke. His head was in constant pain from where it smashed against the steering wheel, taking the most of the blow from the impact. Besides the concussion, Kurt was also suffering from several broken ribs and the bones in his left leg had been shattered beyond repair. He would be in a wheelchair for at least several months unless a miracle took place. With a shuddering breath, Kurt cast a glance at Dave and his father before falling back asleep.

OoOoOo

Days after Kurt's first day at the hospital, he slipped back into a coma, the

steady beeping of his monitor alerting the staff and his friends that he was still alive. Three weeks went by and Dave was getting more and more fearful with every day that passed by. The doctors and nurses taking care of Kurt watched Dave with sympathetic eyes as the muscular boy came every day after school to be by his boyfriend's side. The staff was beginning to fear the length of Kurt's coma. There was still hope that he would come back to reality, but they wouldn't know of lasting damage to his brain until he was fully alert.

One rainy Saturday, Dave arrived at the hospital to find that Burt was already there with Carol, staring mournfully at their son and step-son, respectively. Before Dave entered the room, he walked back out of the hospital to the Starbucks across the street. By now he had learned the couple's coffee orders, and he figured that this early in the morning they'd need it. Neither Burt nor Carol looked like they had gotten any sleep in the previous weeks.

Fifteen minutes later, Dave returned to the hospital, coffee in hand. He opened the door quietly before slipping into the room. He cleared his throat to get the couple's attention. "I brought this for you guys," he murmered softly, holding the flimsy cardboard tray out. "I figured you'd need it." Carol nodded her thanks and gingerly took the coffee, handing one to her husband. Burt barely noticed the drink being placed in his hand as he stared at his son with a tearstained face.

Dave bit his lip before pulling a bouquet of flowers out from behind his back and replacing the flowers he had brought a few days earlier with the newer, fresher ones. He then walked over and placed a kiss on Kurt's head. "I brought you some more of those flowers you love so much, sweetie. You need to wake up though so you can see them, okay?" He smoothed Kurt's hair back before sitting down on the end of Kurt's bed, taking Kurt's smaller hand in his larger one.

Carol watched the exchange with a small smile on her face. "You really love our Kurt, don't you, Dave?" Dave looked up with wide eyes.

"Of course I do, Mrs. Hummel. I love him more than anything," Dave answered. Carol gave him a sad smile and looked back at the bed, praying that her step-son would awake soon.

OoOoOo

When Kurt finally awoke, it was to a loud noise next to him. It took Kurt several moments to feel aware enough to realize that it was Dave singing under his breath, his head resting on the crumpled sheets. Kurt strained his ears to make out the lyrics through Dave's muffled voice that was thick with emotion. After a moment he could understand the main point of the song. Dave was obviously terrified of losing Kurt.

"Stay with me, don't fall asleep too soon. The angels can wait for a moment. Come real close, forget the world outside. Tonight we're alone, it's finally you and I. It wasn't meant to feel like this, not without you," Dave sang. "Cause when I look at my life, how the pieces fall into place, it just wouldn't rhyme without you. When I see how my path came to end up before your face… the state of my heart, the place where we are, was written in the stars."

Tears started to roll down Kurt's cheeks as he moved his hand to cover his boyfriend's. "Dave," Kurt croaked, his voice slight and raspy from his injuries. Dave's head shot up and his eyes widened.

"Kurt!" he exclaimed. "You're awake!" He lunged forward, placing kisses all over Kurt's face. Dave started to cry as he leaned forward and cradled his boyfriend's face in his hands, leaning their forehead's together. "Oh God, when they told me what had happened, I was so scared, and when you didn't wake up for so long—"

"Dave, I was only asleep for a few hours," Kurt interrupted, not sure why Dave was panicking so much. Sure, he had some pretty serious injuries, and yeah, he may not be able to walk again, but he could work through that. He had to. His dad was such a mess when Kurt's mom got sick, and with Burt having a heart condition now… if Kurt didn't accept his fate and let depression get the best of him, he knew his father wouldn't be able to handle it. Kurt looked up at Dave through his lashes.

Dave got up on the bed next to Kurt and pulled him close. "Baby, after you woke up the first day, you fell into a coma. You… you've been unconscious for two months, and I…." Dave trailed off, letting out a shuddering breath before continuing in a whisper. "T-the doctors weren't sure that you m-make it…. I was so afraid that I'd l-lose you." Dave buried his head in Kurt's neck as the tears started to come faster.

"Well I'm awake now, aren't I?" Kurt whispered back before pulling Dave to him and kissing him deeply.


End file.
